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Testimonials

Mike Stotesbury, Founder of GIYM:

"Further benefit has been seen in areas where there is a youth gang culture where ‘Give It Your Max’ has given children a practical alternative and shown a new and positive approach to life. In addition to the social and educational benefits ‘Give It Your Max’ has started to impact on youth tennis. Eight year old Rachel Barnett from Reading, who was introduced to the game by ‘Give It Your Max’, is now considered to be one of the best in the country in her age group and there are a number of players with excellent potential in all the Centres."

"Getting more racquets into the hands of young children at an early age and giving them the opportunity to have coaching in a fun environment can only be a good thing for the game. Charities like GIYM do find young talented players who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to pick up a tennis racquet. Any one of these children might be future tennis champions."

Sir Trevor McDonald:

"We may never be able to change the world but we can at least try to assist in making it a better place. Give It Your Max and its partners may never produce a winner of Wimbledon or the US Open, but we can take the glory of playing the game to a wider community. Little by little we can begin to make the difference"

Tim Henman, former British Tennis No.1 and ‘Give It Your Max’ Patron:

"The Tennis Ball is a fantastic event for fantastic charities. I’ve worked closely with Give It Your Max and the work they do is really helping to enhance the life of so many children. The money raised from this year’s Tennis Ball will help them to grow their programme to even more areas across the UK."

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Give it Your Max (GIYM) was set up in memory of Max Stotesbury who died aged 18 in a car accident. He was a keen tennis player and a qualified PTR tennis coach who assisted at the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI) in his spare time.

The charity pays for qualified coaches to introduce tennis to primary age school children in state schools. Clinics are held within the schools and at clubs and other venues during after school hours and in the holidays.